University of Tennessee and First Transit: Providing the Best Value and Partnership

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) wanted a campus transit service for their students, faculty, staff and visitors that would provide a safe, customer-focused, cost-effective, efficient and reliable services. They were looking for a provider that would carry out their mission, goals and objectives.

First Transit was selected as the campus’s new transit system operator in fall of 2012. We not only were able to meet these service requirements, but we also provide the best value and partnership. With a staff of 42 employees, we operate 20 newly designed shuttle busses throughout the 550-acre campus and transported more than 814,000 passengers throughout the year.

The new fleet of 20 campus buses are customized to the university’s branding including colors and Smokey, the UT mascot. Specially manufactured for the university, the buses are equipped with USB charging stations, real-time GPS tracking to monitor their location and arrival time, and bicycle racks. Each bus runs on the highest level or biodiesel fuel, and outputs a much lower amount of soot emission than the campus’s previous buses.

Riders may track their buses on the schools Translōc site, though the GPS tracking which is integrated into the UT mobile app. Route updates and service changes are also available through the UT. All of the buses are accessible to passengers with disabilities.

“The new transit system responds to what students have been telling us they want; that is, new uniformly-branded buses with UT graphics & colors, real-time bus location technology and more flexibility to meet campus transportation needs.”